Stories by Associated Press

How Did Dinosaurs Dominate Earth? Fossilized Feces and Vomit Help Reconstruct the Creatures’ Rise

Researchers aren’t sure whether dinosaurs’ rise over the course of 30 million years happened because of luck, skill, climate or some combination. But they came away knowing this: “It was not a sudden thing,” said study co-author Martin Qvarnström from Uppsala University.

Donald Trump Transition Says Cabinet Picks, Appointees Were Targeted by Bomb Threats and Swatting Attacks

“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Donald Trump’s Threat to Impose Tariffs Could Raise Prices for Consumers

In a federal courtroom on Monday, Solis testified that his call back to the speaker two minutes later opened a whole new avenue of focus for the feds’ still-unfolding corruption investigation, and added Madigan to the list of people he would surreptitiously record and lure into the FBI’s trap.

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah Agree to a Ceasefire to End Nearly 14 Months of Fighting

Israel’s security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

A Look at How Some of Trump’s Picks to Lead Health Agencies Could Help Carry Out Kennedy’s Overhaul

Trump's choices don't have experience running large bureaucratic agencies, but they know how to talk about health on TV.

Special Counsel Moves to Dismiss Election Interference and Classified Documents Cases Against Trump

The Justice Department believes President-elect Donald Trump can no longer be tried in accordance with longstanding policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.

Donald Trump Jr. Emerges as a Political Force as He Helps His Father Launch a Second Term

For the son of a president-elect, Trump has already had an outsized impact on the next White House. He lobbied hard for the former president to choose his good friend, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, to be his running mate.

Donald Trump 2.0 Has a Cabinet and Executive Branch of Different Ideas and Eclectic Personalities

With a rapid assembly of his second administration — faster than his effort eight years ago — the former and incoming president has combined television personalities, former Democrats, a wrestling executive and traditional elected Republicans into a mix that makes clear his intentions to impose tariffs on imported goods and crack down on illegal immigration but leaves open a range of possibilities on other policy pursuits.

Hydrate. Make Lists. Leave Yourself Time. And Other Tips for Reducing Holiday Travel Stress

Travel can be stressful in the best of times. Now add in the high-level anxiety that seems to be baked into every holiday season and it's clear that travelers could use some help calming frazzled nerves.

Americans With Disabilities Rely on Rideshare Apps, But Many Still Face Discrimination

People who use wheelchairs and guide dogs have watched drivers cancel rides, charge cleaning fees for guide dogs or outright refuse to take them where they need to go.

Donald Trump Gave Interior Nominee One Directive for a Half-Billion Acres of US Land: ‘Drill.’

That dictate from the president-elect’s announcement of Doug Burgum for Secretary of Interior sets the stage for a reignition of the court battles over public lands and waters that helped define Trump’s first term, with environmentalists worried about climate change already pledging their opposition.

Gaetz Withdraws as Trump’s Pick for Attorney General, Averting Confirmation Battle in the Senate

The abrupt withdrawal is a setback to President-elect Donald Trump’s push to install steadfast loyalists in his incoming administration, but also a recognition of the resistance the Republican is already encountering from members of his own party to picks with checkered backgrounds.

US Regulators Seek to Break Up Google, Forcing Chrome Sale as Part of Monopoly Punishment

U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade.

Woman Faces Hate Crime Charges After Confronting Man Wearing ‘Palestine’ Shirt at Downers Grove Panera

Szustakiewicz was at a Panera Bread restaurant in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove on Saturday “when she confronted and yelled expletives at a man regarding a sweatshirt he was wearing with the word Palestine written on it,” the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office and Downers Grove police said Monday in a statement.

Trump Chooses TV Doctor Mehmet Oz to Lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who ran a failed 2022 bid to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, has been an outspoken supporter of Trump and in recent days expressed support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for the nation’s top health agency, the Department of Health and Human Services.

What is Bluesky, the Fast-Growing Social Platform Welcoming Fleeing X Users?

Disgruntled X users are again flocking to Bluesky, a newer social media platform that grew out of the former Twitter before billionaire Elon Musk took it over in 2022. While it remains small, it has emerged as an alternative for those looking for a different mood, lighter and friendlier and less influenced by Musk.

Spirit Airlines Files for Bankruptcy as Financial Losses Pile Up and Debt Payments Loom

Spirit, the biggest U.S. budget airline, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition after working out terms with bondholders. The airline has lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020 and faces looming debt payments totaling more than $1 billion in 2025 and 2026.

Chicago Crowns Lookalike Winner for ‘The Bear’ Star Jeremy Allen White

Beyond the renown of being named White's unofficial body double, the winner walked away with $50 and a pack of cigarettes in recognition of the puff-prone character White plays in the series — Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto — a young, award-winning chef from the glittery world of fine dining who returns to the Windy City to captain his family's dive sandwich shop.

Justice Department Demands Records From Illinois Sheriff After July Killing of Black Woman

The U.S. Justice Department is demanding records related to the shooting of an Illinois woman who was killed in her home by a sheriff's deputy as it investigates how local authorities treat Black residents and people with behavioral disabilities.

Anxiety and Dismay Inside the Justice Department After Trump Taps Gaetz as Attorney General

Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz to be attorney general has many Justice Department employees reeling, worried not only about their own jobs but the future of the agency that the Trump loyalist has railed against.

What Are Recess Appointments and How Could Trump Use Them to Fill His Cabinet?

As President-elect Donald Trump moves to set up a more forceful presidency than in his first term, he is choosing loyalists for his Cabinet and considering a tool known as recess appointments to skip over Senate confirmations for even some of the most powerful positions in U.S. government.

New FDA Rules for TV Drug Ads: Simpler Language and No Distractions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration spent more than 15 years crafting the guidelines, which are designed to do away with industry practices that downplay or distract viewers from risk information.

Trump Chooses Anti-Vaccine Activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health Secretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, abandoned his bid after striking a deal to give President-elect Donald Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration.

Satire Publication The Onion Buys Alex Jones' Infowars at Auction With Sandy Hook Families' Backing

The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones' Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax.

Donald Trump Picks Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, Marco Rubio for Secretary of State

Trump also announced that he had tapped Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state. And he selected Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as his director of national intelligence.

Just Eat Takeaway Sells Chicago-Based Grubhub for $650 Million, Just 3 Years After Buying the App for $7.3 Billion

European food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway.com is selling Grubhub for $650 million, a fraction of the billions it spent to buy the U.S. platform just three years ago.
 

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